Author: Craig Robinson

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CS:GO

IEM Katowice 2021 Playoffs – The rise of the CIS

The IEM Katowice 2021 Playoffs are right around the corner. Six teams remain in one of the biggest tournaments of the year. The Playoffs section of IEM Katowice is typically reserved the strongest of Europe, the CIS and NA. However, the 2021 edition of the event is seeing the overwhelming presence of the CIS teams. Let us take a look at the journey of the Playoff teams and what it means moving forward.

The CIS dominate

Just before the event, we at Dart Frog mentioned that the CIS teams really have the potential to upset this event. Lo and behold this is exactly what happened. The four CIS team all made it to the Playoffs, with Team Spirit being the team to earn a direct seed into the semi-finals.

The four teams all had interesting runs through the Group Stages, with theoretically surprise upsets all over the place. We know for a fact that these teams certainly had the potential to go far. The likes of Gambit and Virtus Pro have attended events throughout last year getting wins over some of Europe’s and NA’s best. On the other hand, Team Spirit and Na’Vi have been at each other throats for the majority of 2020 in the CIS regional brackets.

The Lower Bracket CIS teams

Gambit Esports started off slow, losing 0-2 to EG in the first round. However, they went on to win their Lower Bracket group. They beat mousesports, Heroic, and G2 Esports in the Lower Bracket. G2 and mousesports all fell 2-0 the former youngsters. while Heroic gave them a good showing ina 2-1 series. Arguably, mousesports and G2 were not as big, since both these teams have issues. But the Heroic series was certainly a valid upset.

not bad, king

Moving on, Virtus.Pro was in the same spot. They too had to make a Lower Bracket Round One run in Group B. VP started off with a loss to CIS supreme team oof NaVi. The roster then crawled it back with a 2-0 win over NiP and surprisingly Team Vitality, before taking down FURIA and making it to the Playoffs.

The Upper CIS

The number one dog in Na’Vi has a good run through the Group Stages, only losing to Team Liquid in the Upper Bracket Final. Na’Vi performed very well against VP, with a very similar result vs FURIA. The only time Na’Vi was really challenged was against Team Liquid, with the third map going to overtime before Team Liquid won the series.

Meanwhile, Team Spirit performed exceptionally well. TS started off very competitive vs G2 Esports. A 2-1 series was the result, with the Team Spirit victories being fairly close. The same story could be told for Heroic with 16-12 and 16-14 map results. Although, the real surprise was the Astralis series. The roster continued their narrative, until the final map of the Upper Bracket of Group A. The result was a near 16-0 for Team Spirit, with Astralis only clutching the pistol round to make it a 16-1 map. The result is actually incredible.

If only this moment was on LAN
An appropriate meme

What’s Next

IEM Katowice 2021 Playoffs commences on February 26t with the Quarter Finals. Natus Vincere faces off against fellow CIS team Gambit, with Astralis battling Virtus.pro on the other side of the bracket. The winners of Na’Vi and Gambit will then advance to face off against Team Spirit, with Team Liquid awaiting the other series.

Regardless of the outcome, there will be at least one CIS team in the Finals, which is certainly something to shout home about. We look forward to seeing the action unfold in the IEM Katowice 2021 Playoffs.

Will the dream come true?

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via ESL Gaming.

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CS:GO

IEM Katowice 2021: MiBR vs. Fnatic Result Eliminates The Swedes

After a shocking start to the IEM Katowice 2021 event, Fnatic has departed the tournament after failing to win a map. The Swedish squad played their final series against MiBR, which ended in a 2-0 sweep. As a result one of the most decorated teams in Katowice history is out. Although far from the predicted result, it’s emblematic of the beauty of Katowice. So what happened?

Fnatic’s Drop to Lower Bracket

Fnatic started off the event in a bad spot. In their first series versus OG, the roster failed to amount to anything. Starting Overpass on CT side, the squad started at a deficit to their opponents 10-5 . Moving onto the next half, things weren’t much better. OG started off strong on the weaker side transitioned into the new half where they snowballed a 16-9 win.

As for the players themselves, only Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson of the old guard performed well, with a 0.93 rating. The IGL, Maikil “Golden” Kunda Selim, had to step up with his 0.9 rating. This was against the likes of OG’s Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt’s Deagle 3k, Issa “ISSAA” Murad’s near pistol ace, and other clutch moments.

MiBR vs. Fnatic

The MiBR vs Fnatic series, compared to the OG match, was quite surprising. The new MiBR lineup consisted of the former BOOM roster, after MiBR’s temporary fix late last year backfired. This roster is decent, but heading to one of the biggest ESL Pro Tour events with a lineup that wasn’t part of the team’s 2020 journey was sketchy. However, taking down Fnatic is a good sign.

This series was again a straight 2-0, with MiBR winning Dust 16-12 and Overpass 16-9. The trend continues of Fnatic losing Overpass on the same score. But as for the player ratings, the result was flipped on its head. Younger stars Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin and Jack Ström “Jackinho” Mattsson took the reins while the old guard and IGL fell off.

With the defeat, Fnatic says goodbye to an event they have won several times. It seems likely that Fnatic can bounce back as, they have done before. Hopefully, the roster can come out of this slump and learn along with their new younger talent.

Goodbye Fnatic

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via ESL Gaming

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CS:GO

IEM Katowice 2021: Narratives To Watch At This Major Event

IEM Katowice 2021 is finally here, with the Play-in event kicking off and the Main Event just days away. IEM Katowice 2021 is the first major event in the CS:GO calendar with so many teams involved for several months. Naturally, the best squads in the ESL Pro Tour are awaiting Play-in results to compete on Thursday. However, there are many lineups looking for a shot to make it into the big leagues. Here are the stories to watch:

Main Event Narratives

The Main Event of Katowice has brought many good stories over the years. Natus Vincere won 2020’s event, and previously, in 2019, ENCE had their incredible underdog babyface run to the final. Similarly, this year has no shortage of stories. Here are the best:

FaZe Clan’s First Real Test

FaZe Clan has rebuilt their roster once again. Only this time, the roster has Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken and Finn “karrigan” Andersen. The team recently looked solid with nothing to lose at the BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2021, and that was without karrigan. IEM Katowice is their first real showing, and it is going to be a great gauge to see how they’re performing.

Heroic’s Enigma

Heroic is a team that really grew into their own throughout 2020. The roster eventually peaked at the second half of the year, contending for finals in several events. And in the process, building an actual rivalry with Astralis. The roster did partially fall off in some events, coming 5th-8th at events like the Global Showdown and CS_Summit 7. Katowice is an event that will define Heroic as either a team falling off or still hanging one of the best in the world.

Vitality down to Five

Vitality is a team that has prided itself with its six-man roster, tactical substitutions, and winning events with their gameplay. However, the start of 2021 has not been great. A fine resulting from an accidental restream of an event noticed on broadcast, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut getting his lowest ADR game on record at BLAST Premier Spring 2021, and now the temporary leave of Dan “apEX” Madesclair has got the roster shaken up. Vitality has plenty of prep time, so the opening game for them is one to watch.

Vitality down a player at time their six-man roster was working effectively

Play-In Narratives

The Play-ins is the first leg of the tournament, looking to advance eight teams to the quarter-finals. There are plenty of teams in that pool scrapping it out to make it to the one of CS:GO’s most prestigious events. While there are many decent teams, there are a few high profile stories to watch.

How Will mousesports Fare?

Mousesports has gone from one of the best teams in the world several times to falling off the face of the earth. The roster is currently experiencing the latter. Both the aged veteran Chris “Chris J”de Jong is benched and on loan to FPX and karrigan has returned to FaZe Clan. With the veterans out, there are plenty of young talent fending for themselves. Add in the new IGL and the roster is interesting. The question is has Robin “ropz” Kool graduated from young star to the star player and now veteran of the mousesports roster in time?

Karrigan returns to FaZe after several years of absence

The CIS Beast Awakens

Team Spirit, Virtus.pro, and Gambit are three teams on the rise in recent months. The tier 2 Russian squads have made it out of their region and began stomping teams like BIG, mousesports, and others in international online events. Both teams now arrive at their biggest challenge yet: IEM Katowice. Both teams have a darkhorse atmosphere to them, and it will be interesting to follow the growth of new CIS threats in the global scene. There is definitely potential for all these teams to break through the Play-Ins into the Main Event of IEM Katowice 2021.

Can Complexity Keep Up Appearances?

Complexity is a mixed-result team that has been in a weird spot since Owen “oBo” Schlatter left the team. The roster has rebuilt and recently won its group in the BLAST Premier Spring 2021. But now there are many more teams to face off against at of CS:GO’s biggest events. The question does the team have what it takes to keep up its appearances? the Play-Ins will be a perfect benchmark.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via ESL Gaming

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CS:GO

BLAST Premier Spring 2021 Groups: Five things we learnt

The BLAST Premier Spring 2021 is over and done, with the three groups confirming the winners and Spring playoffs attendees. The event was one of the calendars first crack at the top level of CS:GO since the winter player break concluded. It is safe to say we learned a lot from the event, so let’s take a look.

Na’Vi isn’t a fluke

Natus Vincere is no fluke. The roster has struggled for the most part in the online era, but it appears to have found its footing. The recent success of the roster is a testament to this. They recently won the BLAST Premier Global Finals 2020 in January after an under bracket run.

Natus Vincere performed well once again at the BLAST Premier Spring Finals Group C, taking the group with teams like MiBR, FaZe Clan, and Team Liquid. Overall, NaVi was left unchallenged for the most part, dropping Train to the new MiBR and Nuke to FaZe Clan. Natus Vincere are keeping up appearances as one of the better teams in the world right now.

Natus Vincere take the crown of Group C in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2021

FaZe Clan are back

FaZe Clan has had quite the turbulent year in 2020. The team lost star player turned IGL in Nikola “NiKo” Kovač when he moved to G2 Esports. They then brought in Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye, who lasted a few months before going back to the bench. Now they have Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, and a returning Finn “karrigan” Andersen as the IGL as of February 15th.

The thing is, FaZe Clan did not compete with their actual roster to get second place at the BLAST Premier Sping 2020 Groups. The full roster is only debuting at IEM Katowice 2021. The effect we saw a strong FaZe Clan already, with the likes of Twistzz looking like 2019 Twistzz, and Nuke already being one of their better maps is incredible. The team has a good shot at challenging the top teams this year as they have a great performance on one of metas most popular maps.

Twistzz with the incredible performance. FaZe Clan is really promising.

Astralis’ Collapse

Astralis is one of those teams that when it is on top, it is easy to see why. But when the same team isn’t performing, it is quite hard to understand why. Astralis at the BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2021 has a bad time, The team unconventionally lost to NiP in the opening round and then bombed out in the Lower Bracket to BIG. Both series ended 0-2 to the other team, losing maps in a rather close finish.

The other thing to note is that Astralis have the worst stat on pistol rounds in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2021. The team lost 6 of 24 pistol rounds at one point. Pistol rounds typically grant two free rounds every half, which actually could have been the deal-breaker Astralis’ 16-13 defeats to NiP. Perhaps it was some returning player break jitters. Either way, this is not the start Astralis was hoping for.

Pimp with the crucial details breaking down Astralis’ shocking exit in Group A

G2 Esports honeymoon is over

G2 Esports had a troublesome online era, and it appears it is only getting worse. The roster decided to bring in Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač’s cousin, NiKo to the team. NiKo immediately embedded into the roster, fragging out along the way. But now, G2 Esports only reliable player is NiKo, most of the players have fallen off, and it is showing.

G2 esports is back dropping out of events they should be going higher in. Players like Nemanja “nexa” Isaković are the ones keeping G2 in the game with his above-average performance on Vertigo against EG. Shockingly, EG managed to take consecutive rounds on the T side of Nuke, which is unprecedented on a popular map in CS:GO. Perhaps it is all because of the playerbreak that traditionally puts teams back a month or so. Only time will tell if this project is doomed from the start.

G2 collapsing on one of CS:GO’s most competitive maps

Patience pays off for the Juggernaut

Complexity’s juggernaut had its legs give out under it in late 2020. Its young star Owen “oBo” Schlatter left the team due after being trapped in covid stricken Europe. He departed the team, leaving Complexity in a tough spot. After months of subs and bringing in Justin “jks” Savage after 100 Thieves disbanded, the team has finally got back on its feet.

The narrative here is that Complexity hasn’t looked too bright since jks joined the team in 2020. But now the time off and more time embedding into juggernaut culture has them winning games. Complexity is on the right path and this confidence boost from the is going to be a nice injection into the five gods of CS:GO.

Complexity back in the game with a well-needed win

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via BLAST.

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CS:GO

IEM Katowice 2021 talent line-up announced, GeT RiGhT on Analyst Desk

ESL Gaming has announced the IEM Katowice 2021 talent line-up for its CS:GO event. The tournament is getting plenty of CS:GO’s biggest talent to cast, analyse and host the event, alongside a few notable figures added into the fray.

IEM Katowice 2021 talent line-up

The usual CS:GO talent pool is back for the IEM Katowice 2021 event. The talent list features the big names we see across several ESL Gaming CS:GO events. Furthermore, a few rising star talent members are part of the main line-up, with a few faces we know and love acting as analysts.

  • Tres “stunna” Saranthus – Desk Host
  • Janko “YNk” Paunović – Analyst
  • Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunović – Analyst
  • Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund – Analyst
  • Alex “Machine” Richardson  – Caster
  • Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill  – Caster
  • Harry “JustHarry” Russell – Caster
  • Hugo “Hugo” Bryon – Caster
  • Frankie “Frankie” Ward – Interviewer

Most of the names on the list are the usual CS:GO talent we see during events. However, the interesting part is the promotion of caster duo, Harry and Hugo, alongside the masterminds of CS:GO, YNK, Kassad, and GeT Right.

The other talent taking part for the alternate streams are

  • Mike “DarfMike” Winnick – Caster
  • Joshua “Dweg” Nathan – Caster
  • Jamie “TheEternalJay” Martin – Caster
  • Dean “Dean” Brown
The full talent list across every stream of the event.

The return of the old guard

Some of the old guard of CS:GO is back at Katowice 2021, only this time they are the three broadcast analysts. GeT Right, YNK, and Kassad feature on the analyst’s desk, with all three very recently announcing changes to their careers. GeT Right announced he was stepping down from competitive play in January 2021. YNK and Kassad, on the other hand, both left their recent projects as coaches on FaZe Clan and Cloud 9 respectively.

The trio on the analyst desk is something that is going to want fans to tune into and listen to their post-game commentary. IEM Katowice 2021 kicks off on February 16th- through to the 28th with the most well rounded CS:GO teams throughout 2020 in attendance. This year is going to be big, even with the event taking place online yet again.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via ESL Gaming.

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Valve release 2020 RMR Stickers, limit coaches for 2021 RMR

Valve has released the 2020 RMR capsules to celebrate the year-long effort for the Rio Major that never happened. Teams that were in the running for RMR points have got stickers to celebrate the online era, with aa slightly gloomy outlook for the RMR 2021 event.

RMR 2020 Stickers

The RMR 2020 Stickers are out, with fans able to get capsules in CS:GO, buying keys to unlock items as with any other case. The 2020 RMR Stickers are the latest esports connection to enter the market. The capsule features the usual major classification, broken into Legends, Challengers, and Contenders.

The 2020 RMR Capsules are out

The Legends capsule features the teams that would have otherwise been invited to the Major as they were the top dogs of 2020 for the separated regions. The capsule contains stickers for:

  • FURIA
  • Evil Geniuses
  • Team Vitality
  • Heroic
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas
  • Natus Vincere
  • Team Spirit

The Contenders contain the teams that can be very well described as contenders. Teams making fresh climbs out of the t2 scene, or t1 teams getting their mojo back are in the capsule.

  • Virtus Pro
  • FaZe Clan
  • North
  • ESPADA
  • Gen.G
  • Boom
  • Renegades
  • TYLOO

The final capsule is the RMR Challenger capsule. The capsule contains the big T1 brands we know and love and the best performing teams in 2020.

  • Astralis
  • BIG
  • Fnatic
  • G2
  • OG
  • GODSENT
  • Nemiga
  • Liquid

RMR 2021 Changes

Alongside the 2020 RMR capsules, Valve announced the changes coming to the RMR 2021. The new changes see Valve’s dislike of coaches come to the forefront, with the 2020 RMR points getting reset to an extent.

The partial point reset is in effect as the new CS:GO season begins. Teams that made the most points in the 2020 RMR event have gained some form of Major Legend status. Teams in the Legends stage start the new season on 600 points, with the Challengers on 300 and Contenders on 100. The bonus points of the season are good as Valve will continue the RMR system for 2021. The recently announced PGL Major set for October-November 2021 will determine the 24 teams competing through the RMR system.

The 2021 RMR system will feature a few roster rule changes. The new RMR feature will allow teams to make substitutes for any player that is not already connected to another team, except for coaches. There is a slight punishment for subbing out players, but if a player is brought back in, then there is no penalty. It means that teams taking 6 player rosters can work heir strategies into different series, and still use emergency subs from free agents. However, it means that the coach can no longer play, and that isn’t the only thing affecting them.

RMR Coach changes

Valve has decided that coaches can no longer be in the room, server, or play for teams in the RMR events. Valve has continuously restricted the power of coaches in live games for a while, and the recent scandals of 2020 has only positioned them further.

Coaches for esports teams in RMR event can no longer be on the server or speak to the team during an online match. This also applies to any other non-player staff in the organisation. Valve believes this will prevent any other major drama that can devalue any competitive integrity.

The story dates back to September when ESIC banned 37 coaches for spectator bug abuse. Coaches caught in the ESIC ban wave can now miss a number of Majors because of their actions, ranging from one major to a permanent ban on Majors.

Valve has a full list of information regarding the RMR 2021 event here.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via Valve.

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Na’Vi crowned BLAST Premier Global Final 2020 Champions

Natus Vincere has become the 2020 BLAST Premier Global Finals 2020 Champions after taking down Astralis in the Grand Final. Na’Vi has won its first tournament in a while, ending the 2020 event calendar and starting their 2021 with a bang.

Natus Vincere’s run to the Final

Everyone thought that Natus Vincere was going to pull a typical Na’Vi result in the online era. The team hasn’t been particularly great recently and that was the form they started the event with. In their opening series, they played against Team Liquid, and lost 0-2. From there, the CIS roster had to play in the Lower Bracket to survive.

But their journey to the Finals was remarkable. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the roster pulled it back again and again.

The first Lower Bracket opponent was against Complexity, and that was a close call. The Complexity series started off on a back burner. Complexity won the first map on Mirage 19-17, continuing Na’Vi’s loss streak. With elimination point set, NaVi came back on Nuke to win 16-8 breathing life into the roster. Moving on Na’Vi won Inferno 16-11, surviving for another series.

A familiar foe was next in line as Na’Vi faced off against the newly refreshed G2 Esports. Even with G2 Esports star carry Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, Na’Vi still managed a 16-6 win on Train and 16-8 on Mirage. The momentum was in full swing for the CIS roster as Na’Vi was ramping up and starting to catch fire as the event went on.

The IGL’s brain was firing on all cylinders in his team’s approach and mechanical play.

After that, it was rematch time vs Team Liquid. It was clear Na’Vi was back in form when they faced Team Liquid again. This time, Na’Vi won the series 2-0, with the scores 16-13 for Inferno and 16-14 Nuke for the win.

After that, it was the 3rd and 4th place matchup between Natus Vincere and Team Vitality. This match was an absolute banger, with the series breaking the viewership record for an online CSGO event – excluding majors. Na’Vi and Vitality pulled in a 687k viewers peak. It was easy to see why; two best players in the world facing off against each other in what the community has described as a tough year to pick a world number one player.

As for the series itself, it was an incredible Lower Bracket Final. The first map went the full distance of a 19-17 Nuke, with Overpass heading to 16-12 for Vitality. The final map was Dust II, which is Vitality’s favoured map. but Na’Vi managed a 16-10 win. The Lower Bracket Final was a story of tremendous comeback, and the quality of their final LB opponent made it so much more special.

Na’Vi dominating the esports viewership for CS:GO

Na’Vi’s BLAST Premier Global Finale

With the Lower Bracket wrapped, Natus Vincere found themselves against Astralis, a team that has finally returned to form and keep making Finals. It was another 2-0 battle for Na’Vi as they had hit their peak form at this point. Nuke was once again on the cards as the most popular map in the current era of CS:GO. Astralis pulled their usual trick of substituting in Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen specifically for the map. Unfortunately for the Danes, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and Egor “flamie” Vasilev were on point for the map, ending in a 16-12 victory for the CIS team.

The next map was Inferno, where the Danes never had a chance. Na’Vi destroyed Astralis making the number one team in the world look like an am-pro team. Na’Vi won 16-5, on a map where the design tends to create fairly even showings. Nonetheless, Na’Vi managed a 1.0 or more rating on four players, whereas everyone on bar one on Astralis earned less than a 0.9 rating. It was telling to how much everyone on Na’Vi was on fire. With that set, it became really easy for the BLAST Premier Global Final 2020 to award s1mple the MVP of the event.

A well-deserved MVP after a really long and challenging event

With the event over, CS:GO is back in action. The CS:GO offseason is done and teams are back, with the next event being the DreamHack Open January event. Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via BLAST.

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MiBR unveils its male and female CS:GO rosters

MiBR has announced two brand-new CS:GO rosters, with one male lineup and a separate all-female team. The Brazilian organization looks to further show the world they’re committed to building and developing talent in the South American region.

The team announced that the primary roster is gaining four members of the former BOOM Esports lineup: Gustavo “yel” Knittel, Ricardo “boltz” Prass, Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes, and Bruno “shz” Martinelliare. The final member of the team is the young star that only recently featured on the Bravos roster back in July to November, Daniel “danoco” Morgado. This MiBR CS:GO roster is all-new – There are no core members of the previous MiBR lineups, completely reshaping the team.

As a whole, MiBR has been in a state of flux since Summer 2020. The roster got rid of the old lineup that had earned fame and fortune since 2016. However, the team fell off in 2020, and the results proved not worth the investment. Just before the old guard was dropped, the team was involved with several dramas, including involvement in the CS:GO coach cheating scandal, while the squad accused members of other teams of cheating as well.

With this in mind, MiBR chose to completely rebuild their CS:GO roster. In final months of 2020, the team unveiled a new roster, containing some of the prodigies of Brazilian CS:GO. The team had some success and was something to be proud of at the time. Built on loans, this roster unable to continue heading into 2021.

In the new year it was expected that Alencar “trk” Rossato and Vito “kNgV” Giuseppe would play in a new iteration of the roster. Ultimately, this wasn’t meant to be, with the pair finding themselves on the bench. The two players opted to bench themselves after communications broke down over new lineup for 2021. The duo were insistent on continuing to play with the temporary roster they played with at the end of 2020.

Female squad

MiBR’s female roster. Image via MiBR

MiBR’s second, roster was quickly announced following the reveal of their other 2021 lineup. The team would consists of Bruna “Bizinha” Marvila, Jessica “flyzinhaa” Pellegrini, Julia “julih” Gomes, Ana “annaEX” Carolina, and Gabriela “Bokor” Bokor. Several of these players are familiar faces in Brazilian CS:GO. A few have played on pug teams, as well as being a part of FURIA’s female roster in the past.

MiBR states their female roster are set to compete in the WESG Latin America, as part of that event’s separate female CS:GO division. While players will have the opportunity to compete for their own prize pool in that event through January, it is unclear whether other female-only Brazilian events exist. It is speculated that they will compete against teams like XSET, who also signed an all-female CS:GO roster.

Regardless, it’s great to see a brand which is know for developing Brazilian talent acquire a female team. The MiBR brand has a bright future ahead of itself if it can prove it’s capable of applying its brand philosophy to multiple rosters.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Images via MiBR.

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PGL to host CS:GO Major set for October

The esports event organizer, PGL has announced it is set to host a CS:GO Major in October 2021. The event is going to be the biggest CS:GO event ever, with a $2,000,000 USD prize pool and an online 4k 60fps viewing experience. Fans around the world can expect the event to occur between the 23rd October to 7th November.

PGL is back with the next Major scheduled for October to November 2020

PGL is set to bring CS:GO back home for 2021, with the Major heading back to where it all began in Sweden. Fans can expect to head to Stockholm to watch live CS:GO, presuming it is safe to do so by the time of the event. This is the first time that a CS:GO Major heads to the Swedish capital, despite being the third Major set for the nation. If things go ahead, fans can descend onto the Ericsson Globe, a 16,000 capacity crowd.

With the announcement, PGL gets its first Major in over four years. PGL has hosted the Cluj-Napoca in 2015, and Kraków in 2017. Back then Team EnVyUs and Gambit claimed those Major titles respectively, creating some crazy moments in CS:GO history.

At those events, PGL innovated the streaming experience of CS:GO, the 2017 event had the first 1080p 60 fps stream for CS:GO. The 4K stream is just another example of how PGL wants to keep modernising the CS:GO experience. The recent wave of the online era of CS:GO has most events feeling the same, so any enhanced viewing experience is a sign organisers are working on improving the current era.

But the most exciting part about this Major is that there is going to be a new Major to look forward to. The last Major event to go ahead was the StarLadder Berlin Major through August and September 2019. ESL had the rights to the next Major, scheduled for Rio back in the Spring of 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event online, with its format changed to an RMR event. Unfortunately, ESL eventually outright cancelled the event, opting for the IEM Global Challenge as a mini Major through December 2020.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via PGL.

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CS:GO

Astralis crowned the IEM Global Challenge 2020 Champions

Astralis are your IEM Global Challenge 2020 Champions after beating an unlikely opponent of Team Liquid in the Grand Final. The two teams pulled out an amazing run to the finals, sending out 2020 with an el Classico despite the big teams they had to face at every stage of the event.

But how did the rest of the event go? The final event of 2020 was wild with its results, For that reason, lets explore all that came with the event, and what that means for 2021.

Astralis crowned once again

Astralis once again earn themselves yet another trophy as they took home the gold as the IEM Global Challenge 2020 Champions. The Danes have earned themselves their second trophy in December, and its third since coming back from the player break in the summer. The team has ramped up at an incredible time, and they are doing with a six-man roster when it comes to Nuke.

One of the big storylines for this roster was the fact they were beginning to peak at the right time. Since the original Astralis roster returned from their absence, they have grown and grown. The conclusion to the recent BLAST Premier Fall Finals showed that Astralis was contesting the best team in the world. The victory here shows they are arguably the best team now they consistently making the Finals in their last three events.

One of the ways Astralis beat Team Liquid in their finals

El Classico

The last time that Astralis and Team Liquid played each other was not too long ago. They met in the first round of the Lower Bracket at the DreamHack Masters Winter European event. But now the role is reversed with them playing in the finals.

Sadly, the battle from the old days seemed to have faded. Astralis won the series 3-0, and the maps were not as close as we all would have hoped. Inferno was a 16-11 victory for Astralis, with Overpass going 16-11 and Dust II 16-10. Despite the sad losses, it was still a great time for Team Liquid, they showed that their new roster can reach the finals of events with European opposition. On the other hand, it was also a happy send-off for Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, who announced that he is heading to a European team in 2021.

Twistzz with the respectful departure from Team Liquid

Vitality Bleeds

One of the most successful teams in CS:GO right now just so happened to fall in the Group Stages just days after taking a trophy. Team Vitality and their amazing roster fell at the final hurdle of 2020, dropping out of the Group stages in 3rd place after losing the decider against Astralis.

Despite the fact Team Vitality got dropped us unexpectedly early, there are some strong takeaways to consider. Team Vitality has grown incredibly well this year, picking up a six-man roster and adventuring into greatness with a team that has few roster rotations. One of those elements is Kévin “misutaaa” Rabier, who spent his first year as a competitive player on a team redefining the game.

What a great debut year for the young CS:GO star

BIG maintain top-class form

One of the teams that have come out of nowhere in 2020 is BIG. The German side as really harnessed the power of the online era and maintained a presence. They have won several events this year and even at the event designed for the best teams in the world, they make it to the semi-finals.

Another factor is that BIG only arrived at the tournament because Chaos had to step out of the event for unforeseen illnesses. For a team that didn’t qualify for the usual metric, but they still highlighted their power level. For BIG, the roster is in a position to show the world that 2021 is their year, as they took out teams like Vitality and Astralis in the Group Stages.

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